


Platform 9 3/4

by actualjohnwatson



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: ADD/ADHD Tony Stark, Anti Pepper Potts, Bisexual Tony Stark, Character Death Fix, Fix-It, Gen, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Past Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Tony Stark Lives, maria stark tried her best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 12:13:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18810691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/actualjohnwatson/pseuds/actualjohnwatson
Summary: An Endgame fix-it fic featuring Maria Stark. Happy mother's day.





	Platform 9 3/4

**Author's Note:**

> “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

  
“And I am Iron man.”

 _This is stupid, this is stupid, this is stupid_. It’s too much for one person to handle and he knows that. If Bruce couldn’t do it as the strongest of them then what hope was there for Tony? He was so painfully human. But what choice did he have? Even if it was stupid it was their only option.

The searing pain scorching through him can only stall him for so long before he does what he’s supposed to do. What he was meant to do.

 _Don’t waste your life. Don’t waste it_. Those words echo around him. Did he do enough? is this enough?

 Grimace’s uglier evil twin fade away and it’s worth all the pain, the disfigurement.  _Bye bye ugly. You don’t get to matter anymore._

He can feel the flesh in his hand melting away-ew- and the bones disintegrating. Like if he wasn’t focused on watching that ball sack with a face fade in to nothing he’d throw up. Oh wait. no no- it’s coming up anyway.

Someone’s helping him sit. Rhodey, thank Christ, helping him disengage the armor from what's left of him. Some of it seems to be seared to his shoulder. He feels sick again. Isn’t that just fucking karma at its finest. Even though he won’t get to ever look Barnes in the eye now and apologize.

There’s Peter on his right. Looks like he’s going to burst into tears. That poor kid. Tony missed the crap out of him and now he’s not even strong enough to say goodbye. Pep steps forward, looking beautiful and  so strong. She's the put together one in their relationship. But he can’t even understand her. Can’t concentrate on what she’s saying. Did he take his Adderall this morning?  No, he can’t contrate because his brain only lets him focus on one thing: Morgan.

He can’t even see her one last time. No, daddy’s too scary now. Can’t give her a hug. Can’t pick her up or throw her over his shoulder. And that hurts more then the burning flesh. More then the tears in Peter’s eyes. More then the calm in Pepper's voice. No more stories for his Morgoona.

Everything gets brighter and brighter until it flows to the brightest white that slowly fades back to a familiar place. A home he hasn’t seen in the last ten years, a glass castle in an aquarium now.

"Stars shining bright above you  
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"  
Birds singing in the sycamore tree  
Dream a little dream of me"

Tony rubs his left arm. It’s not suppose to be there. But neither is this house or the piano. Or the women sitting at it. “Mom?” his heart flutters with nerves and he feels more like the boy he was then the man he grew into.

“Come sit, Bambi.” She says like no time has passed at all, patting the piano bench beside her.  His heart is full and broken all at once and he slips in beside his mother. Natural as if it hasn’t been thirty odd years since he’d been this close to her.

“Mom.” Tony whispers in disbelief, leaning against her. The tears come and come and come. He can’t seem to stop them, clinging to her like she’ll slip threw his fingers again.

 “Oh honey.”  Her presence is soothing, Mom's fingers combing through his hair.  He hasn’t cried on his mother’s shoulder like this since he was seventeen and Georgie White broke his heart.

“Mom. Momma.” saying the words aloud make him sob harder. It’s not real. It’s gotta be a dream. But he’s supposed to be-. “Am I dead? Is it over? Pep said-”

But Mom doesn’t let him finish. “It’s only over if you want to it to be, sweetheart. Do you want to stay? You don't have to listen to her."

“Mom.” Tony chides her softly.

“Well, she can’t  make you do anything here.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Nobody makes me do anything.”

“I’m sorry Bambi,” She sure doesn’t sound sorry. “But I wish you’d found someone a little more emotionally sensitive.” Mom pats his hand. “Not that I have any room to talk really. I think you’ve inherited your bad taste in romantic relationships from me.”

Tony wipes his face on his sleeve, quietly soaking up her perfume. Her mom smell. Typically he’d berate himself for  being pathetic and crying like this but he’s so happy to be near her his heart won’t let that voice in his brain beat himself up.

“I saw him.”

“I know.” She squeezes his hand a little tighter.

He used to think the worst person to be stuck in an elevator with was himself. Boy was he wrong.

Tony tries to rebel against the silence. Taps his fingers on the wooden keys. Plink, plink, plink. Opens his mouth to speak or sing. Shuts it again like he’s a little boy trying to see how long he can go without speaking. A game that benefited no one.

 Why didn’t he just talk to her? Why couldn’t the ask her what he wanted? What wall separated them? Was it Howard? What? Tony shakes his head. Yeah, he’s too old to play this game. “Now what mom? Is this it? Because I had expectations and this isn’t meeting any of them.”

“I told you Bambi, this isn’t the end if you don’t want it to be. Stay. Go back to you’re beautiful daughter. It’s not set it stone.”

“I don’t want to leave you, mom.” It feels good to say it again. In the present.

 Mom mom mom.

“Oh honey. I’m with you. Always.” Mom let's go of his hand and gently pets his hair.

“It just- sucks that you were taken away from me. It sucks.” The wound feels fresh. Hot and angry and oozing. “I wish-”

“Don’t.” The smile on her face turns to terrifying fury in a moment and he knows he’s messed it up. “Anthony Stark you need to apologize to that young man you nearly murdered in cold blood. You can't change what happened with rage.”

Ouch. Tony winces. “I know. I got it. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not the one you need to apologize to, you got me?”

“Yes ma’am.” This feels so normal and so surreal. Reprimanded by his mother. He tries not to laugh at the strangeness even if she is defending Barnes and he's in trouble.

“That poor boy suffered.”

Oh come on.  “How do you know what he went through? You suffered.” Tony had suffered.

That look in her eyes dims from anger to sadness. “No, Bambi it was over before I knew what had happened. He has suffered.”  she forces Tony‘s eyes to meet hers, turning his head. “Apologize to him. For me.”

“If I go back.” But his heart tugs for Morgan.

“If.” She rolls her eyes, “We don't have much time now. Unless you really want to stay”

“I don’t understand what you want me to do. They’re soldered to the gauntlet.”  

She looks at him confused. “I know you’re smart enough to put in some kind of safety feature. Those things can be removed."

“But-” If it took Bruce down. How was Tony suppose to live through it?

“You can do whatever you put your mind to. I know you, Tony. I told you, you could fly, didn’t I?”

She had, when he was a boy and something had discouraged him that was her go to. ‘Don’t you know you can fly?’ He tries to hold it together again. “I can.”

“I’m so proud of you Tony. Fly. Fly for me.” Mom leans over to kiss his cheek and everything begins to dim into darkness before breaking back into the twilight of reality.

The whole left side of him feels like it’s on fire.  Tony can barely open his eyes to slits. He tries to scream but it comes out as a whimper.

The shape beside him sits up a bit straighter. “Tony?” Rhodey, his voice trembling. “Oh my god, man, don’t do that.” And for a moment, it's just Stark and Rhodes, together again. “Quit dying on me. Its shitty.” Tony tries to smile but everything hurts.

He can make out Pepper clinging to Peter. Ugly crying in the boys shoulder and the poor kid has that dear in the headlights look.  Tony tries to lift his arm let them know he’s fine but there’s no arm to lift and Tony whimpers again, frustrated.

Rhodey comes to his rescue, like always, watching him closely. Or maybe it's intuition. Years of friendship. “Hey, guys? Pepper? Hey. Tony's okay.”

 


End file.
